Criminal Minds The Gentleman
by KimOfDrac
Summary: Banner: The BAU team goes to Chicago to investigate some strange deaths, and they'll also meet Garcia's cousin Bella, who seems to draw a certain someone's interest
1. Prologue

"_**Being strange is what makes you special. Being unique is what makes you human"**_

_**/Unknown**_

_The rain fell hard and splashed as it hit the asphalt, creating pools in the bumpy, cracked asphalt, reflecting the light from the neon sign on the club afew meters away. A woman walked out of the club, pulling the hood of her leopard skin jacket over her ginger locks. Her heels clicked as she walked towards the parking lot, to drive home._

_The loud music from the club echoed as a thumping sound outside. It was chilly, so she walked a bit faster, reaching for the keys in her purse.  
"Miss" a man shouted. She turned around, and saw only a dark figure standing below the street light.  
"Yes?" she asked, squinting her eyes as the rain hit her face and the heavy makeup._

"_I was wondering..." he began, walking towards her. It made her feel uncomfortable, and she walked backwards towards her car, the keys in a firm grip.  
"Yes?"  
"... you wouldn't know where the bus stop is, would you?"_

_She could see his face now and relaxed. A lost man, that's all._

"_Well, you'd have to walk for a few minutes down the road" she said and turned to insert the key in the car door, when suddenly the man grabbed her head firmly, banging it hard against the roof of her car multiple times. She screamed for a few seconds, before she fell to the ground. The man laughed.  
"If you don't mind, I'd rather drive home" he said as he got into the car and drove away from the scene._

The crew were sitting in the conference room already. The whiteboard was empty for now, but they had just received a new case.  
JJ entered the room and handled out the files to everyone.  
"Okay..." she began and grabbed the remote, turning on the projector. The face of a woman covered the white screen. Her forehead was cracked and blood had run down her face. Her blue eyes stared out in space.  
"... we have an unknown female, aproxamently between 25 and 35..."

She showed them the next photo, showing the entire body and the empty parking space. Her purse lay next to her.  
"... severe damage to her skull caused probably by a person slamming her head against something. Nothing was stolen, but the ID we found belonged to someone else"  
The blonde turned to look at the crew.  
"Someone else?" Derek Morgan asked. JJ nodded and opened her case file.  
"Yes, the ID that was found belonged to a Marilyn Conolla, 19. The woman on the photo is not our victim"

"Maybe the ID is from another victim? We have seen that before, the unsub stealing items from his victims to place as clues on the next" Reid suggested. The others nodded.  
"Could be, but as far as we know, this is the only victim" Hotch said.

JJ frowned as she thought of something.  
"We know it's not robbery, nothing was missing, as we know of, but we'll have to look more into that. It happened right outside the club called Cottonesse. The local police says it's a sort of bar for girls only"

Hotch stood up.  
"We'll be leaving for Chicago in an hour"

Garcia stood up aswell, waving her hand excitedly.

"Oh, sir. Can I come with you? My cousin lives there and I have't seen her in ages. It won't affect my work, sir"  
Hotch smirked.  
"No problem, bring your laptop and headset. We could use you out in the field" he said with a wink, before he left the room.

"Are we gonna party or what?" Morgan said with a chuckle. "Right after we find that son of a bitch"_  
_


	2. Chapter 1

The plane ride went by as usual, except this time, Penelope Garcia had joined them, and she was more then excited.  
"Sir, do I get to carry a gun?" she asked Hotch, sitting opposite the dark haired man reading the casefile.  
"No, Garcia you can not carry a gun" he answered, without looking up.  
"Oh, that's okay" she said and leaned back in her seat. "You'll protect me from the bad guys, cupcake, won't you?" she asked Morgan, sitting to her right on the other side of the plane.

"Off course, baby girl. I won't let him get near you"

Emily Prentiss put the file back into her bag and looked at Garcia.  
"So, tell us about this cousin of yours" she asked. It was horrible to just sit there in dead silence.

"Well..." Penelope began and grabbed a lollipop from her purse, removing the paper and popped it in her mouth. "... she's 22, she's a makeup artist for live shows of all different kinds and she's got this cute little flat which I adore" she said and looked at Emily. "Last time I saw her, her hair was pink"

Prentiss raised her eyebrows.  
"Wow"

"And" Garcia continued. "She's smart. I would say she's a genious, but then again she's not like Reid. I think her IQ is 179..."

This made Reid look up from his book.  
"That would actually be the IQ of a genius. The average IQ is between 90 and 140, with variations depending on how they count in different countries" he said, looking from Garcia to Prentiss.  
"Maybe you two should date" garcia said with a chuckle, causing a red blush to spread in his face.  
"Imagine if they had a baby" Prentiss said, and Reid cleared his throat nervously. JJ giggled.  
"Is she cute?" she asked Garcia, who shrugged.  
"I'm not the one to tell, but yeah, I suppose she is"  
"Wow" JJ said. "Cute and smart. If they'd have a girl, she could so date Henry"  
Again Reid cleared his throat.  
"I think we'll be landing soon" he said and put his now finished book in his bag and took a quick look at the casefile again. It would be the last time he'd have to do so, before his mind would have remembered it all.

Just minutes later, Hotch's phone rang.  
"Yes?... What?... Again? In the middle of the day?... Alright, we'll be there as soon as we can, we're on our way"  
Hehung up and looked at the crew.  
"That was seregant Benton, chicago police. There's been another murder"  
"Are they connected?" Prentiss asked. Hotch nodded.  
"This victim had a cellphone on him belonging to Marilyn Conolla" he said. Derek leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees.  
"Who is she?" he asked.  
"That's what they're trying to find out" Hotch answered, and with that, the fligh got ready for landing.

**// Alright, so the story has started. Please review. I will update as soon as possible.**

**Btw I watched Bones today and got an idea of making a crossover Criminal Minds/Bones. She and Reid would so fit together...**


	3. Authors Note

Hey everyone

I am so sorry I haven't updated yet, but it's been really hot and it drained me of all energy, and when I regained that energy there was a thunderstorm here -.-

I promise you it will be up soon, I've finished half of the next chapter so don't worry

Hugs


	4. Chapter 2

The team arrived at the crime scene thirty minutes later. It was on the street just outside an appartment building. The victim was a male in his mid 30's. The officer in charge approached them.

"Agent Hotchner?" he asked, reaching out his hand. Hotch shook it.  
"Yes, what do you know so far about this one?" he asked.

The officer walked towards the body and the team followed.  
"We believe the victim is a guy named Billy Loom, he matches the discription. He was probably here to find a prostitute, it's usually what he's up to when he's not getting drunk. His throat was slit, no sign of any other damages"

Hotch nodded as he gathered the information in his head.  
"Morgan, Reid you'll go to the other crime scene. Take Garcia with you and see if you can find out who Marilyn Conolla is" he nodded and went to get a car from one of the officers.

Reid, Morgan and Garcia arrived at the club Cottonesse and found it to be examined by the CSI.

"Wow, this is the real deal" Garcia said as shee looked at the crime scene. Morgan nodded.  
"Yeah, and another crazy person out there" he said. Garcia swallowed.  
"I'll just stay in the car and see what I can find out about that Marilyn girl" she said nervously and opened the car door.

As the two men entered the club, they were quite shocked at how pink and fluffy everything was. The bar were lit up by pink lights and all the chairs were covered in white fur.  
"I'm going to walk out with a migrain after today" Derek mumbled and walked futher in. There was a stage with a pole.  
"What sort of club is this?" Reid asked, quite confused since they had told him it was a girl's club.

"A club owned by women – for women"

They turned around. The woman stansing there was tall in her high heels, and the only things she wore were a white bustier and a short skirt.

"I'm guessing it's a club for girls to meet girls?" Derek said, in more of a statement tha a question.

"Yes, and no..." the woman began. "We're here for all girls, we can provide anything they'd want, and legally too"

Morgan looked at Reid and then back at her.  
"I'm special agent Derek Moran, this is Dr Spencer Reid, we're with the FBI. Could you explain what happened yesterday?"

The woman looked at them both and shrugged.  
"It went by as a normal evening. It wasn't until someone found her dead outside that things got messy, if you understand what I mean"

She let out a giggle and Derek frowned.  
"Do you know who she is?"

The woman walked further into the club.

"I know her as Jessica, that's all. She's a regular"

Reid looked around the club, trying to see if there was anything unusual, which was hard, since nothing in there looked normal to him. His phone rang. CALLER ID: Penelope Garcia.

He flipped it open to answer.  
"Yeah, it's me" he said.  
"Reid, I found Marilyn Conolla. It turns out she filed a report of robbery. Everything except her furniture was stolen. Her purse, jewelry, toothbrush, everything" Garcia said, typing on her computer.

"Her purse? Where was she?" Reid asked and turned around to look at Morgan.  
"She was out walking her dog, she only brought her keys, claims she was gone for about 40 minutes"

Reid frowned.  
"40 minutes is not a very long time for someone to steal all that, if they didn't know her and knew exactly where she had her hings"

Garcia mumbled in agreement.  
"Exactly. I'm looking for her address right now, she seems to be moving alot"

"Thanks Garcia" Reid said and was about to hang up.  
"You're welcome hun, oh, and Spencer, you're going to meet Bella today"  
"Bella? Oh your cousin? Why?" Reid asked.  
"It seems..." Garcia began. "... she's a regular at Cottonesse"

**// Finally chapter 2 is up ******** and next time, you'll be meeting Bella. I'm sorry it's short, but I want to upload daily instead of writing long ones and just update every week.**


	5. Chapter 3

The statement from the owner of Cottonesse, who's name was Melina Beraux, didn't give them alot to go on, and they decided to head back to the Chicago Police office and wait for the mystery cousin to get there. Morgan drove and had Reid next to him, while Garcia needed the space in the backseat for her gear.

"I hear this girl is smart" Morgan said and looked at the blonde woman through the rear-view mirror. She kept typing on her computer.  
"Yes, and weird. Even weirder than me, but I think that's part of what makes her beautiful" Garcia responded, not looking up from the screen.

"You hear that, Reid?"

"Yes I did" Reid replied, and Garcia giggled.

"We were teasing him on the plane" she told Morgan. "Don't worry Spencer, we're just messing with you. I love you to death and don't you forget!"

A smirk grew on Reid's face.  
"What about me?" Morgan asked and looked back at her again. She looked up.  
"I love all you guys, you're my family. Now, keep your eyes on the road, honey"

He chuckled and shook his head.  
"Women. You find everything so cute and cuddly" Morgan said, turning his attention back towards the road before him.  
"That is so not true. I would never call someone cute if they weren't. I just happen to only be around cuties"

Reid raised an eyebrow and looked over at Morgan, then out the window.

"Are you jealous... Derek?" he teased.

Morgan frowned.  
"Of you? Seriously, Spencer you're my friend and all but... When it comes to girls, I am practicly a pro" Morgan replied.  
Garcia closed her laptop.  
"Maybe, but imagine the useful knowlege of the statistics of a woman's orgasm, wouldn't that be very helpful?" She joked.  
"Actually, the average..." Reid began, but Morgan stopped him.  
"Enough about that"

Reid smirked, and Garcia giggled.  
"We'll continue this later, Spence. I am interested in those statistics"

They had been waiting for a few minutes, having a coffe when a woman approached them. Her white heels clicked against the marble floor and the two men couldn't help but looking at her from her feet and up. Tight yellow pants, a black band t-shirt and... just like Garcia had explained, she was special. Her hair was long and blonde, with streaks of turqouise in it.  
"Penny?" the girl asked, and Garcia got up from her desk and walked up to her, giving her a hug.  
"Bella, oh wow it's been so long" Garcia said and turned to Morgan and Reid.  
"These are my bro's, Derek Morgan and Spencer Reid"

Bella waved a little.  
"Hi" she said ad smiled. "Who is going to interregate me?" she asked with a giggle.  
"We're just going to ask you some questions..." Morgan began, but Garcia cut him off.

"Reid will, he is really good, and smart. Very smart, he's a genius, Bella" Garcia said very fast and Bella smiled at Reid.  
"I know. 187 in IQ and the ability to read 20 000 words per minute, right?" Bella said. Reid frowned in surprise.  
"Yes, how did you..."

"I googled you" she answered with a giggle. "I thought Penny had just made up my prince charming to tease me, so I had to check"

Reid swallowed and blushed.  
"Morgan, maybe you sh-"

When Reid turned his head to look at Morgan, he and Garcia were already walking towards the doors down the hall. Reid looked back at Bella, smiling nervously.  
"So... Okay, why don't you sit down"


	6. Chapter 4

Bella sat down and Reid went to close the glass door. He then walked back and sat down opposite her.

"So, what's your name? Your full name?"

Bella smiled at him and moved her long hair over just one shoulder.

"Belinda Garcia" she said and looked him in the eyes. He nodded.  
"I understand you're a regular visitor at the club... What type of club is it exactly?"

She looked down at his hands, which were on the table, and then back into his eyes.  
"Don't you need to write it down?" she asked. He smiled a little.  
"No, I will remember it" he said. She giggled.  
"Okay then" she began. "... Well, Cottonesse is a girl's club"  
"What does that mean exactly?" he asked and frowned a little. She leaned over, making Reid swallow and trying to avoid looking down her... well he didn't want to think about it. Not in that situation.  
"It's a club where only girls are invited. Well, you don't have to be physically a girl, but ou have to be... well, a girl, it's hard to explain" she said and sat back up again. Reid sighed in relief and relaxed.  
"You mean they also allow transgenders, right?" he asked. She nodded and giggled again.  
"Yes... Dr Reid" she said. "And, well I am there to have fun, you know, have a drink and talk to people, maybe dance if I'm in the mood, while some people are there to date others and such..."

"Did you know the victim? Jessica?" Reid asked. She shook her head.

"We never talked" Bella explained.

"We found out they provide anything anyone could ask for... What do you know about that?"

Bella shrugged.  
"Some people come there for sex, I mean statistics show that 62% of the women in this part of the country that's been abused by their husbands, will turn to women for love and safety"

Reid couldn't breathe. She smiled.  
"Isn't that so?" she asked and winked.  
"A-actually, it's 62.6%, but..."

He noticed Morgan and Garcia were watching from a distance, and they smirked at him as they noticed he saw them. He turned back to Bella and swallowed.  
"Am I a suspect?" Bella asked and bit her lip. Reid smiled and shook his head.  
"No, you're strictly a provider of information" he said. She looked into his eyes.  
"You mean after this meeting you won't see me again?"

There was a moment of silence.  
"I'm sure we'll meet again... I mean you're Garcia's cousin and..." he said.

"Great"

Bella stood up, smiling, and walked up next to him, leaning down.

"I'm looking forward to it, Spencer" she whispered into his ear, and before he noticed, she had left the room.

"Did you get all the information?" Morgan asked, as Reid emptied a whole mug of coffee in just seconds, before sitting down. He nodded.  
"So it all went well then" Garcia said with a chuckle. Reid ran his fingers through his hair.  
"Yes, the club does provide sexual survices; she's not one who uses them. It seems many of the women using it have a history of abusive marriages and..." he took a deep breath. Morgan raised an eyebrow.  
"Come on, what did she do?"

"She used statistics and percentages in the same sentece and they were just about accurate, and she's..."  
Morgan looked at Grcia, who looked at him, and they both laughed.  
"My man, you like her, don't you?" Morgan teased.

"She was totally flirting with me" Reid said, quite a bit shocked.

Garcia stood up, jumping up and down.  
"Spencer's got a girlfriend!"

"She's not my gi-"Reid said, but was interrupted by the rest of the group entering the room.  
"What? Who?" Prentiss asked. JJ looked around in confusion.  
"It seems Garcia's cousin flirted with him, _and_ used statistics" Morgan said.  
"And percentages" Reid added.

Prentiss looked at JJ, and then at Reid, and then at everyone.  
"Isn't she part of the case?" Hotch asked. Reid swallowed.  
"Not really, from the list we received of visitors from the club owner, Bellawasn't even there during the murders..." Reid said.  
It went quiet.  
"Bella? It's 'Bella' already with you two?" Prentiss asked.

Garcia's phone rang and she looked at it.

"It's her!" she squeeked. "Be quiet, I'll put her on speaker phone" she said excitedly and flipped it open.  
"Yes cousin"

"Penny!!! Oh my God!"

The group stared at the phone; Reid closed his eyes, unable to breathe.  
"What's up, Bella?" Garcia asked, trying to sound normal, but she was smiling big.

"He is GORGEOUS!" Bella squeeled. "I'm telling you, my AC isn't helping right now"

The group turned their attention to Reid, who was blushing harder than ever.  
"You mean Reid?" Garcia asked, trying not to giggle.  
"Yes, off course I talk about Reid!" Bella said and let out an excited squeel.  
"I told you he was cute" Garcia said.

"CUTE? That is not cute, Penny, that is delicious, you have to help me get a date with him, pleeeease?"

Garcia looked at Reid, who was more nervous than ever and looked like he wanted to get away fast.  
"I'll call you, Bella, I have to go"

She hung up and squeeled with joy.  
"Wow, Reid. I haven't even been called delicious" Morgan teased. Garcia slapped his arm.

"Don't be so mean" she said and turned to Reid. "Isn't this great, honey?"  
A smile spread across Reid's face slowly.  
"I... I have to go" he said and got up, walking away, still smiling.


	7. Chapter 5

The following day, the CPD (Chicago Police Department) got a call from a woman, sounding extremely worried. She hadn't heard from her daughter in three days, and after finding out about the murders from the news, she knew something wasn't right.  
"Alright everyone, we might have another victim"

Seregant Benton walked up to the BAU team and sighed.  
"A woman called, claiming her nineteen year old daughter Vanessa is missing, they usually talk over the phone once a day, but the mother figured she was busy. After hearing about the murders she called us. It turns out Vanessa worked as a go-go dancer at Cottonesse"

There was a moment of silence.  
"Prentiss, Reid" Hotch began. "Go to the mother's house first, see if you can get a photo and description, maybe she has a spare key to Vanessa's appartment, or wherever she stayed. JJ..."

He turned to the blonde woman and let out a sigh.  
"...I think it's time for a press conference, this is getting out of hand. The unsub is fast, and we must think of Vanessa as another victim, we cannot take chances here"

JJ nodded and went to make some phone calls immediatly, as Prentiss and Reid got up.

Vanessa's mother, Susan Montgomery, lived in a nice, small neighburhood that looked like nothing bad would ever happen there. Reid parked the car outside the white house and stepped out.  
"I have a feeling there are more victims... Earlier victims, or something must have triggered the unsub days ago" Preentiss said. Reid locked the car.  
"It's all about the club. Hopefully Garcia will find something very soon that links all the victims together"

They rang the doorbell, and after a few seconds a middleaged short woman opened the door.  
"I'm special agent Emily Prentiss, this is Doctor Spencer Reid, we're with the FBI" Prentiss introduced. The woman nodded.  
"Come in"

They took a seat in the livingroom and noticed a shelf with framed photos. In a large silvery frame was a photo of a young blonde woman. She was smiling and looked very happy.  
"Is that Vanessa?" Prentiss asked. The woman nodded and grabbed the photo from the shelf. She handed it to Prentiss.  
"It was taken two months ago... We were on a trip to Mexico. She was so happy..."

A tear rolled down her cheek.  
"She's very beautiful" Prentiss said. Reid didn't quite know what to say at that moment.

"I know she's dead..." Susan said. "... A mother knows"

"Does she have any enemies?" Reid asked. "Anyone from the club who..."

The woman shook her head.  
"She wouldn't tell me things like that. She knew I didn't like what she was doing"

There was a moment of silence.  
"Where does she live?" Reid asked. Susan's lip began to shiver.  
"She... She lives in a trailer, not far from the club. I told her she could live here but..."  
The woman began to cry. Prentiss bit her lip.  
"I'm very sorry, Mrs Montgomery, but I promise we will find her"

The moment they saw the trailer, Reid called for backup.  
"Hotch, there's blood all over the door and windows" Red said to his boss. Hotch told him they'd be there in ten minutes, before they hung up.

Prentiss opened the trailer door and quickly covered her mouth and nose with her hand. She took a quick look around inside the trailer before she stepped out.  
"There are two bodies in there"

**// Sorry it's short but I'm slowly melting away in this heat so...**


	8. Chapter 6

~Two days later~

JJ entered the head quarters of the Chicago PD with two new files.  
"The DNA tests confirms that the two victims found in Vanessa Montgomery's trailer are Vanessa herself and also Marilyn Conolla. Both women were stabbed multiple times and we found this at the scene..." she began and showed them a picture of a man's watch. "... We have found skin particles on it, but it does not belong to a male in this district, we're still searching the entire system"

The team looked through the file.  
"So... we believe this is the unsub's watch?" Morgan asked. JJ nodded.  
"The makers of the watch confirmed it is a model released three months ago, so if it is not the unsub's it would point to more victims, but Garcia is looking further into it"

Reid studied the file and frowned.  
"It would seem the unsub wants to be found by now? It is possible he's suffering from schitzophrenic symptoms or other where his mind actually tells him how many or who to kill. It could also be a compulsive disorder – that he has to kill a certain amount of people, or something didn't go as planned. We have found no more victims during the past two days"

The group nodded and mumbled in agreement.  
"Reid, talk to Belinda Garcia again, see if she knew any of the latests victims and see if there could be a conecction to them at all, besides the club. A certain person" Hotch said. Reid blushed a little and nodded, clearing his throat as they all headed to start their work.

Bellalived on the third floor in a house with no elevator and spiral concrete stairs with walls covered in graffitti. Angry dogs were barking from the other side of her neighbour's door and it made him feel oncomfortable having her live there, for some reason. He rang the bell.

It took her a few seconds to answer the door.

"Dr Reid, hello" she greeted, standing there in a white babydoll dress with pink dots on. "Come in"

She opened the door a little more and walked into her appatment. He followed and closed the door behind him.

The walls were painted in bright colors throughout the place and he noticed multiple details were butterflies.

"Please, sit" she said as they entered the baby blue livingroom. "Coffee?"

He shook his head and sat down on the white rose patterned rococo couch.

"No, thank you" he said with a slight smile. "Ms Garcia, did you know Vanessa Montgomery or Marilyn Conolla?"

Bella raised an eyebrow and sat down in a large pink manchester chair opposite him.

"So it's 'miss' now..." she began and looked at him. "I'm a suspect, aren't I?"

He shook his head.  
"No, but you are a part of the investigation" he explained. She nodded.  
"I suppose they're dead, since you're using imperfect... And no, I didn't know them, but I knew of them. They were both strippers and included escorts at the club" she said. Reid frowned a little.  
"Included?"

She nodded.  
"They were available to members paying a fee. No extra payment to use them. I suppose there were girls of higher quality that you had to tip but... Vanessa and Marilyn weren't that exclusive"

Bella smirked a little. "It's weird, isn't it? How you can buy some people"

Reid bit his lip.  
"It's wrong" he said. "But people still do many wrong things"

Bella nodded.  
"Yeah... I never talked to them, I've only seen them dance"

Reid looked at her and nodded. He could see she was telling the truth.  
"Did you ever notice someone perticullary interested in them? Someone who could be linked to the victims?"

She thought for a bit.

"One person gave them money, a tranny I believe. That's all I know, sorry"

Reid's mind registered it. A transvestite meant it was a man. It could be the killer.  
"What did he... she, look like?" he asked. Bella ran her fingers through her hair.  
"Last time I saw her was about a month ago... Long brown hair with highlights. I guess it was a wig, and a zebra patterned dress. I never saw the face"

Reid nodded as his mind registered it. There was a moment of silence.

"So... Dr Reid. Would you join me for dinner tomorrow?" Bella asked. Reid got a little nervous.  
"I don't know if you're ruled out of the case yet..." he said. She nodded.  
"Well... will you call me tomorrow and let me know?" she asked.

A weird feeling spread inside his body, giving him the butterflies.  
"I-I'll check with my boss" he said. She smiled.  
"Good"

They both stood up and Reid got ready to leave.  
"Oh and... Spencer, call me Bella, please? Ms Garcia sounds so... classy"

She winked at him and he swallowed.  
"Alright, Bella... I'll, I'll call you"

She slipped a small note down the pocket of his jacket.  
"Don't lose my number"

As the door closed, Reid remained standing there for a while. This girl was truly... Amazing.

**// I know I promised a long chapter, but I just had to cut it here. Keep reviewing, I love you all**


	9. Chapter 7

~Three hours later~

The BAU and the local policegathered around the big table at the Chicago Police Department to present their findings. Reid told them what Bella had said, and it all seemed to clear a bit.  
"We know the suspect's name is George Warren, but we have no address, which would indicate him probably living in a trailer aswell. We know he is a transvestite, but we don't know when and how often he's dressing up, so we might be looking for someone that seems to be a female at first glance" JJ told them.

"The first impression of him is that he's a gentleman, submissive and almost too kind. He might have left the city, or he's waiting for things to cool down before he kills again" Morgan filled in and looked over at Prentiss.  
"He is unemployed, probably getting his money from selling drugs or possibly prostitution" Prentiss said.  
"Even though he's probably poor, he looks like a person of high status, he's always tipping the escort girls at the club and is a paying member" Reid said. The police force stared at them.  
"Any family members we could contact?" one of them asked.

"His only living family is his sister, but she's been in a coma for over three years after a car accident" Hotch said. "There is no car registered to him, so he must be travelling by bus, he can't live that far from the club, an hour ride at the most"

Garcia was sitting just utside the office on a couch, with her laptop on the coffe table before her. Reid walked up to her.  
"I think I've got a date" he said. She looked up at him.  
"Wow, Reid. When?" she asked with her jaw dropped. He smirked.  
"If Hotch has ruled her out as a suspect, we're going to dinner tomorrow" he said and shoved his hands down his pockets.  
"That's great" Garcia squeaked and faced her screen again. "She really likes you, Spence"

Reid frowned.  
"I thought only JJ called me 'Spence'" he said. Garcia shrugged and giggled.  
"Bella uses it all the time, I guess I'm getting used to it"

Reid couldn't help but smile.

"So... do you think Hotch will let me?" he asked. Garcia looked up at him once more.  
"She's not even a witness, Reid. Just a visitor at the club providing us information about the club in general. She wasn't there when those people died and all she knows is that the suspect is using escorts and wears zebra, which I totally dig..."

Reid raised an eyebrow at her.  
"... I didn't say I approve of murder" she said and they chuckled.  
"I'm gonna get a coffee and make my gray cells useful" Reid joked. He joked?  
"Reid, she's affecting you already, where's my genius?" Garcia said in a concerned tone. He smiled.  
"I will always be your genius, Garcia" Reid said and left her sitting on the couch with a big smile on her face.  
"Those gray cells are flapping their wings down your tummy, hun" she said quietly.

Bella was driving in her bright yellow car when her phone rang. With one hand on the wheel, she flipped her cell open.  
"The second most faboulus Garcia speaking" she said with a smirk. There was a moment of silence.  
"Second most faboulus?" Reid asked, and blushed just a second later as it replayed in his mind, sounding not like he had meantfor it to do. Bella giggled.  
"Ooh if it isn't Dr Spencer Reid calling, what can I do you for?"

Reid bit his lip and his hands began to sweat. She really was a special girl.  
"About dinner tomorrow..." he began. She giggled.  
"Did daddy Hotch let you go? Or is he afraid I might bite you?"

Reid closed his eyes. She was really something...  
"Actually, you're not really a part of the investigation anymore, so we're fine" he said and chuckled nervously.  
"Great" Bella said. "Come pick me up around five and I'll take you somewhere good" she said, smiling. He could tell she was happy, and it made him smile aswell.  
"Okay, Bella. I will" he said.  
"See you tomorrow then, love"

"Yeah, will do"

Love? He hung up and leaned back in his chair. He liked the sound of that.


	10. Chapter 8

_The yellow __Volkswagen "beetle" car was parked outside the red brick appartment building. There was no garage, no code lock on the entrance door, not any lock at all, he noticed as he grabbed the door. It was past 9pm. If there was a lock it would have been on by now._

_He walked back towards the flower arrangement along the parking lot and looked up. The lights turned off, but a dim blue one that shifted slightly remained. She was watching TV._

_He walked away. He had no buisness there... not yet._

~The following day~

"My man, I have to congrat you"

Morgan entered the room, where Reid was already waiting with two mugs of coffee. He handed one of them to his partner.  
"To what?" Reid asked with a frown. Morgan smirked.  
"Garcia told me about thedate you're having" Morgan teased. Reid made a silent 'oh' and took a sip of his coffee.  
"Yes, I'm looking forward to it" he said. "Any news about the case?"

Morgan shook his head.  
"JJ hasn't said anything to me, all we can do is to keep looking for this guy. It turns out he's not a member of any community or club for HBT's, other than Cottonesse, and the owner's got nothing on him. He always pays in cash"

The two men sighed. Until anyone found out the unsub's whereabouts, they weren't going to find him.

JJ entered the room, followed by the others.  
"The CPD might have found his trailer, but it was burnt down, it will be hard to find anything in there" JJ said and slammed the file on the table. "We've hit a dead end"

Hotch looked at the group.  
"The public have been notified by media this morning and the local police are putting up fliers all over the city. All we can do is wait until someone sees him" Hotch said.

Reid studied the case board. Usually he could find clues, maybe small and somewhat useless, but at least something. Now, it was blank. They had used all the information possible.

"He's got to eat, and a person will have to sleep after a few days, we will catch him, even if we have to wait until then" Reid said. The others nodded.

"And there have been no more murders yet that we know of..." Prentiss said, but trailed off as she noticed Reid staring at the board.  
"Reid?"

"I found the clue..." he mumbled. "The clue isn't a what, it's a who" he said, pointing at the picture of a young hispanic woman.

"Conolla..." Morgan began. "... That's right, her belongings were found on the previous victims. She must be the key"

He grabbed his cell and called Garcia, telling her to send them the file on Marilyn Conolla as soon as possible.

Ten minutes later they were all staring at the face of Marilyn Conolla on the wall. JJ was looking through her file.

"I'll have to look through this before we can continue. We'll meet in the afternoon, I'll see what can be significent" she said.

The team stood up and Reid headed to see Garcia. She was typing numbers and codes on her laptop that even Reid couldn't understand.  
"Uhm, Garcia..." he began.  
"Yes, sweetie" she greeted. "Nervous?"

He frowned slightly and shook his head.

"No, I just... I don't know what you do... on a proper date" he said. She smiled in that sisterly way she always did when he came to her for advice.  
"Well, Bella is not a very traditional girl, but a flower is always nice, you know... just a small thing"

He nodded, taking it in.  
"You'll do fine, Spencer. She really likes you, and she won't mind talking statistics or Star Wars..." Garcia continued. "As long as you don't fall into an akward embarassing silence, it will be as smooth as peanutbutter on a chocolate buisqit"

Reid raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"I better go back to the hotel for a long shower" he mumbled and with a hug, he left the CPD.

"Hello mum, how are you?" Reid asked on the phone. It was two hours left before he was picking Bella up to have dinner.  
"Spencer, oh I'm so happy to hear from you. I am what I'm like always. Are you at work?" she asked him. He sat down.  
"No, it's going slow, we have a hard time finding the bad guy... I'm actually going on a date" Reid said.

"Is she a nice young lady?" his mum asked with suspicion. Reid chuckled.  
"Yes mum, she's great... I really like her"

He could hear on the tone of her voice she was smiling.  
"Good, that's what's most important. I'm happy for you, Spencer"

He nodded.  
"Yeah, so... I will have my phone turned off, but you can always leave a message if something's..."

"Nothing will happen, Spencer. You have fun, and relax. You need to get away from work a bit"

He smiled. So typically his mother.  
"I love you, mum"

"I love you, Spencer"

**//Next chapter will be the date, so stay tuned. It will be exiting**


	11. Authors Note again

**Hey everyone.**

**Okay, first thing, Did yall notice Rossi isn't in my story? Well, are you missing him?**

**The thing is I just haven't found any good arguments for him anywhere here so I haven't used him... do you want more Rossi in here? Is it needed?**

**If you do I'll bring him into the story, but if you like it the way it is I won't.**

**It's up to you**

**Thank you for your reviews, they mean so much to me and I promise I will write you back when you review!**

**Aren't you all excited about Reid's and Bella's date? hehe**


	12. Chapter 9

It took Reid half an hour to choose clothes, just because he didn't know how you're supposed to dress on a first date. He finally told himself to wear the jeans he always packed but never wore, and a long sleeved Hillfiger shirt. He stared back at himself in the mirror, fixed his hair a bit with his fingers and decided it looked okay. He grabbed his black jacket and the rose he had bought and headed out.

It was raining slightly, but it wasn't that bad. Still, he pulled up s close to the entrance as he could. He looked down at his watch, it was ten to six, so he was early.

After about three minutes (yes he was counting the minutes), Bella came down. Reid got out of the car and walked up to her, giving her the rose.  
"You look beutiful" he said, and blushed the second after the words had escaped his lips. She was wearing a tight pair of light blue jeans and a white silk top with a fuchsia colored pearl necklace. She smiled and took the rose, smelling it.  
"You're so sweet, Spencer" she said and looked at him. "You don't look too bad, yourself" she said with a smirk. He smiled.  
"Shall we go before the raining gets worse?" he asked. She nodded and he opened the door for her. She couldn't stop smiling. No one had ever treated her like that. He soon joined her in the car and they drove.  
"So, where are we going?" he asked with a chuckle. She giggled.  
"Don't worry, I'll tell you which way to drive"

It was an exclusive, classic looking 50's diner with waitresses on rollerskates. It was just like they'd gone back in time.  
"Wow" Reid didn't know places like that still exsisted. They sat down in the corner. The seats were original red leather car seats and the diner itself was white with details in red and blue, with metal chrome on the walls.  
"It's the less boring place in Chicago" Bella said with a giggle and Reid smiled.  
"I like it" he said and caught sight of an old jukebox. It was really an original place.

A waitress with ginger locks and a 50's pink and white dress approached them, handing them the menu.

"Good evening, sweet hearts, may I take your drink order while you look through the menu?"

Reid looked at her and smiled.  
"Just a Dr Pepper for me, please" he said. Bella giggled.  
"Come on Spence, it's Friday" she said. "We can walk back home or take a cab, come on"

Reid bit his lip. One drink wouldn't hurt. It was Friday afterall...

"I'll have what you're having then" he said and smiled. It was hard to do anything else when she looked that beautiful, and her smile...

"Great, we're having gin and tonic" Bella said and the waitress scribbled it down.  
"I'll be right back" she said with a smile and walked away.  
Reid began to relax and enjoy the evening. Bella was special, not like other girls. Somehow, she didn't make him as nervous as other girls did. Maybe because he could be himself with Bella.

A chicken filet with potato salad, two drinks and a recently arrived dessert later, Reid was more relaxed than ever. Just watching Bella drink from the straw made him happy, and he had no idea why.

He grabbed some chocolate sauce covered ice cream with his spoon and held it up.  
"Is it good?" he asked with a smirk. She giggled as he brought the spoon to her lips and she tasted the ice cream.

"Mmm it's really good" she said and grabbed her large strawberry from her plate. "How about this?"

He took a bite and nodded.  
"Not bad at all"

She giggled again. That very moment was a special moment, and she kind of forgot it was the first date. She had never felt so comfortable around a guy before. She sipped lightly on her third drink before she ate her ice cream.

"If Derek could see me now" Reid chuckled. "He wouldn't believe it"

Bella looked at him.  
"Why?" she asked with a smile. Reid shrugged and their eyes met.  
"I haven't been very good around girls" he said. Bella giggled.  
"You're good around me" she said. "I have never been this happy, Spencer"

He couldn't stop smiling. He had never been told that before.  
"I'm glad you are" he said softly. "And I'm happy too, and I really hope this won't be our last date"

Twenty minutes later, they were both a bit tipsy, and Reid remembered the jukebox. He got up and walked up to it, inserting a quarter, before choosing the song.

Within two seconds, the tunes of Elvis Presley's 'Love Me' spread across the diner, and Bella smiled as Reid reached out his hand.  
She looked up into his eyes as they slowly moved to the music.  
"Is there something you want to say with this song, Dr Reid?" she asked. He smiled.  
"Maybe"

She giggled again, and at that moment it was as if something moved them closer to eachother and they couldn't help it. Their lips met in a gentle kiss and she closed her eyes. Reid slowly pulled away, so he could see her face. That beautiful face... She had him spellbound. He cupped her face gently and kissed her again, not wanting that moment to end.

**// Tadaa, I know you love it. And I know you hate me for stopping here *muhaha***

**To be continued ;) **


	13. Chapter 10

_A cab stopped just oustid__e the entrance. She stepped out in the rain, unsteady in her heels. The person following was FBI. He knew that was someone from the FBI. It made him angry. At that moment, he knew the FBI agent wasn't dangerous to him, he too was a bit unsteady._

_The two of them shared messy kisses that he liked watching, but the two went inside within a minute. He waited behind the moist bushes. Waited for the right time to strike..._

Bella turned on her stereo and a loud techno version of Alice Cooper's 'Poison' filled the appartment, pounding against the walls and floor. Wet clothes ended up on the floor and messy, hungry kisses were shared, as Bella ad Reid ended up on her bed. For the first time, his brain was a blur, and he liked it. All he could register was Bella's wet kisses on his skin, and he closed his eyes, letting his mind focus on his feelings for this incredible girl.

He grabbed her hair gently and directed her face to his, kissing her deeply as the rain hammered on the windows.

At the CPD, JJ was still staring at the Marilyn Conolla file. There wasn't much about her that could help them, no addresses, nothing. She did notice a phone number written on a piece of paper found in her wallet. No name.  
JJ grabbed the phone on the desk and called. After three or four signals, a woman answered.  
"Lauren speaking" the woman said, sounding quite annoyed. JJ looked up at the clock on the wall. It was a few minutes past 10 pm.

"My name is Jennifer Jerau, FBI. I'm wondering about your connection with Marilyn Conolla" JJ asked. The woman sighed.  
"That tramp!" the woman yelled. "She's the hooker my room mate keeps seeing. Ugh, why are you asking? Is she dead?"

JJ bit her lip and grabbed her pen.  
"Yes, I'm afraid so... Your room mate, what's his name?" JJ asked. The woman laughed.  
"Sometimes he's Suzy, but I suppose it's George Warren you need"

JJ stared at Garcia who was still typing on her laptop across the room. Garcia noticed and raised an eyebrow, wondering what was going on.  
"Do you know where he is?" JJ asked. The woman made a humming sound as if she was thinking.  
"He said something about Crebbler Street, I don't know-"

"Thank you" JJ said quickly and hung up, rising from her seat.  
"He's on the same street where your cousin lives"

Garcia stared at JJ in panic.  
"Oh my God..."

She quickly called Morgan through her computerand told him.

"Isn't Reid with her today?" Morgan asked as he ran to his car, the rain soaking him at once.  
"Yes, and I have a bad feeling about this" Garcia said and swallowed, watching JJ leave in a hurry.

It was close to midnight and Reid and Bella were asleep. The purple sheets covered their bare skin and Reid had his arm around her. Bella blinked a few times as she heard a sound outside the door to her appartment, and then some strange pouring sound. She gently got out of bed, putting her underwear and robe on before she quietly walked out to the hallway. She saw a shadow under the door and liquid pouring inside. She walked up to the door and looked through the hole.  
There he was... the murderer. She gasped. He laughed at her.  
"I know you're in there... This is what happens when young people behave badly against us decent people" he said. She wanted to cry. Seconds later, she heard him light a match and ran back inside, away from the gasoline he had poured inside. She shook Reid awake and grabbed her cellphone.  
"He's going to burn us alive" she yelled, starting to panic as the red light of the burning carpet in her hallway lit up the appartment. He stared at it in shock.  
"Who? The unsub?"

"Yes" Bella said and typed a numer on her phone. "Penny, help! He set the place on fire, we can't get out"

Bella began to cry and sat down on the floor. Reid quickly put his pants on and ran to the door, closing it.

"Get in the bathroom now, Bella, come here" he said and opened the bathroom door. He grabbed the phone from her. "Sit down in the shower and turn the water on"

He put the phone to his ear.  
"Reid, what's happening?" Garcia asked. Reid took a deep breath.  
"Bela says the unsub was here. He poured gasoline I think, under the door and set it on fire. We're in the bathroom"

Reid joined Bella inside the tiled room and closed the door, covering the crack under the door with wet towels. Bella was sitting under the water, crying.

"Morgan and JJ are on their way, I was just about to call Hotch and Rossi aswell" Garcia said, trying not to sound too panicy herself.

"Hurry, there's no way out. These cheap houses don't even have emergency stairs" Reid said and hung up, before he left the phone on the floor and sat down next to Bella, wrapping his arms around here.  
"They're on their way, it'll be alright"

Dark smoke started to ooze in through the uncovered crack by the hinges of the door and Reid tried to remain calm. Why did all his dates end up in some sort of danger?


	14. Chapter 11

After a while, Bella went quiet and all Reid could see was dark smoke. He couldn't stop coughing and as he weakly turned his head to look at Bella he noticed her eyes were closed.  
"Bel-Bella?" he coughed and touched her cheek, before his vision got blury and faded to black. He heard muffled voices and weird noises, before he passed out completely.

Morgan pushed George Warren hard down on the ground. The sound of sirens echoed across the area and evacuated people clinged to eachother, watching the fire lick the brick walls from the windows. Morgan read him his rights through gritted teath as he was boiling with anger, but also worry and concern.

JJ was nibbling on her fingers nervously and Prentiss was pacing back and forth.

As the firemen came out of the building with Reid and Bella on stretchers, covered in yellow blankets and with tubes on their faces, JJ couldn't help it, and she burst out crying. Prentiss ran up to them, followed by Hotch and Rossi, whos arm JJ was clinging to.

"They're alive" Prentiss said and laughed as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"They're still not stabilized. A few more minutes in there and they'd gotten boiled" one of the firemen said. JJ gently touched Reid's hair before they got him into the ambulance.

"He's lucky to be alive, he might have a chance, but..." a medic told her and closed the doors to the ambulance. JJ blinked and looked over at Bella who they would put in another ambulance.

"He might have a...? And what about... what about Bella?" JJ asked. He shrugged.  
"I don't know"

He gave her a face that meant he was sorry. JJ bit her lip as Morgan walked up next to her.

"JJ... What's wrong? What did they say?" he asked, being very concerned. JJ felt the tears build up again and shook her head, covering her face with her hands.

Derek let out a shaky sigh and grabbed his phone, calling Garcia.  
"Meet us at the hospital Penelope" he said. He could hear her clear her throat and take a shaky breath.  
"I have to know" she said, her voice breaking. "Are they alive?"

Derek sighed.  
"Yes... for now"

The situation was tearing on the team and they hurried to get to the hospital, while the CPD took care of the unsub. At that moment, Morgan thought, if Warren didn't get the death penalty by the state... he would get it from him.

**// Scary, so what will happen next??? Leave your reviews and opinions please, and don't forget to recommend me to your fellow Criminal Minds fans hehe**

**Next xhapter will be up in a few days. I'm going away for two days so... **


	15. Chapter 12

They arrived at the E.R a few minutes after the ambulances had got there and was told to wait outside. Bella was placed in the room opposite Reid's, and the rest of the team waited in the corridor just outside; worried, scared and silently praying.

Morgan stood up as Garcia walked quickly towards them.  
"What's going on, how-"

She was interrupted by a loud beeping sound and people rushing down the hall and into Reid's room. The team stood up.  
"What's happening?" JJ asked, running after them. As she entered the room she saw a nurse giving Reid CPR, while some others started to pull out machines. JJ shook her head, tears streaming down her face, as a nurse asked her to leave the room.

"Answer us!" Morgan yelled. "What happened?"

"Please, you have to stay back" the nurse said. JJ leaned against Morgan's strong body.  
"His heart stopped... He, he..." she cried. Garcia gasped and stared at the occupied room, covering her face as her eyes teared up heavily.

"We're losing him, charge higher"

The doctor's voice, the beeping noice, the knowledge of what was happening was too much for JJ and she walked away, with her hands covering her face.

Hotch had gone after JJ, leaving the rest of the team in the hall, all of them scared and not knowing what would happen next. Suddenly the door opposite Reid's opened and Bella tottered out, dressed in a hospital gown and with a tube in her nose. She stared at the door.

"Bella, you shouldn't-" Garcia stuttered, but Bella interrupted her.  
"Spencer's in there isn't he" she said, her voice sounding empty. She slowly walked up to the door, looking through the glass. A tear rolled down her cheek and she slid down on the floor.

Fifteen minutes later, it was quiet, appart from a silent beeping every other second. A doctor walked out of the room and found Bella curled up in Garcia's embrace, Morgan resting his head in his hand, elbows on his knees and Rossi holding a very quiet Prentiss.

"He's back and stabile, but he's not awake" the doctor said. This caused most of them to shed a tear or a few, out of relief. Morgan grabbed his phone and called his boss.  
"Hotch; you and JJ should get back here. Reid's alive"

He understood Hotch had put him on speakerphone, from the squeal JJ let out. He smiled and hung up, looking at the doctor.  
"Could you take a look at her" he said, nodding towards Bella. "And then could we see him?"

The doctor nodded and he helped a crying Bella to her feet.

They were sitting in Reid's room, being quiet, watching Reid's chest rise and fall as he breathed through the mask. Garcia cleared her throat.  
"What... what were you guys doing?" she asked. Bella blushed and looked down at her hands she had placed in her lap.  
"We were asleep..." she said. Morgan smirked.  
"So Reid was on the couch?" he asked, still smirking. Garcia knew what Bella felt for Reid, and she knew things weren't that simple.  
"No, he slept in my bed, right next to me" Bella said. Garcia pointed at her.  
"You were drunk, weren't you?" she said. Bella shrugged.  
"Just a little tipsy... Look, I don't regret anything, now can we talk about something else?"

Morgan and Garcia looked at eachother, before mumbling an 'ok'.

Reid moved his head slightly, letting out a quiet moan. Bella walked up to the bed and grabbed his hand.  
"It's okay, Spencer. We're all here"

**// I like the first half of this chapter but the rest I'm not so sure about. Anyways, this is what you get. Stay tuned for the next few remaining chapters, and maybe, MAYBE a sequal.**


	16. Chapter 13

Reid woke up a few hours later, finding Garcia and Bella sleeping in their seats, and Morgan pacing the room.  
"De-Derek..." Reid mumbled, and Morgan looked at him.  
"Finally you're awake, man" he said and walked up to Reid's bed, sitting down on the chair next to it. "You scared us"

Reid's lower lip moved a bit, before he spoke.  
"I'm sorry..."

Morgan ruffled his hair.  
"No more dying from you, you hear me" Morgan said. Reid frowned.  
"I... I was gone?"

Morgan nodded.  
"Yeah.... But now that you're awake, loverboy..." he began and a smirk spread across his face. "... What's up with you and Bella having a little too much fun on the first date, huh?" he teased.

Reid sighed.  
"Do I have to talk about this?"

Morgan chuckled.  
"I don't want any details... It was your first date, though" he said. Reid shrugged.  
"I know... She thinks I'm a bastard, right?" Reid said and looked over at Bella. Morgan shook his head.  
"She hasn't left this room. She saw you die and...Well, she wouldn't leave after that"

Reid bit his lip.  
"How is she?"

Morgan looked over at her aswell.  
"She's fine. Better than you"

A smile spread in Reid's face and he closed his eyes.  
"Good... and her place, is it..."

"It's completely destroyed. Garcia will bring her home"

Reid nodded and a warm lump grew inside him. She would come with them back to Virginia.

After a while, Bella slowlywoke up, and she noticed Reid was awake.  
"Spence!"

She got up and hurried towards him, grabbing his hand.

"I was so scared" she whispered. His free hand reached out and stroke the side of her face.  
"I'm okay" he said. She smiled and a few tears rolled down her cheek. Morgan woke up Garcia gently, and they quietly left Bella and Reid alone.

Outside, they joined the rest of the team and thankfully took the coffees they were offered.  
"He's awake?" JJ asked. Morgan nodded.  
"He's with Bella"

JJ nodded.

"The unsub will probably be sentenced to death" Hotch said. Morgan nodded, and felt satisfied with that.

"Good. He deserves it"

A male doctor approached them and smiled.  
"They can both leave tomorrow, but I would suggest Dr Reid taking a few days off. His lungs will have to recover"

Hotch nodded.  
"Thank you, sir" he said and looked at his watch. "It's late. We should get some sleep, and I'll be notified if there are any changes. I'll call you if I hear something"

The team agreed, and with that they slowly headed back to the hotel.


	17. Here's what's up!

**Okay people here's what's up. Copy and paste the link in a new window to find out...**

.com/watch?v=AOyFEIpDX44


	18. Last Author Note

**Okay, so I can't decide which of my ideas to use in this ending, so I'm gonna leave this story for a while and focus on my new one.  
It's called Heaven's Light and is a normal Criminal Minds episode only with a Reid/Morgan pairing.**

**Check it out. **


	19. FINAL chapter

Written by: **BlackHorse08**

Part 1-The Wait

Dr Spencer Reid. He stared at the label on his hold-all, tracing the embossed  
letters over and over again in a vain attempt to occupy his quite considerable  
mind. Well that wasn't really the truth of the matter, his mind was  
occupied; too occupied in fact, hence his efforts to divert his attention.

Why the hell was Morgan late? More importantly, why was his tardiness shared  
by the beautiful Bella? Reid mentally berated himself; firstly for thinking  
that Morgan and Bella were late 'together' and secondly for referring to  
her as 'beautiful'. They'd barely known each other five minutes, had had  
their share of drama, and already he felt like she was special. 'You're a  
fool, Reid: stop thinking like this.' The voice in his head wasn't his  
own, he'd given it a deeper tone, it sounded a lot like Morgan- those words  
were coming out of his mouth. But Bella was made for him, they were meant to  
be.

Physically shaking his head, Reid gave himself another mental kick; someone  
as rational as himself should not believe in love at first sight. There,  
he'd said it; the dreaded 'l' word, and as he mused about the prospect  
of love his thoughts strayed once more, her glittering eyes so real in front  
of him…  
"Reid!" he blinked, hovering on the fringes of a daydream.  
Morgan softened his tone; "Reid?" waving a hand in front of the younger  
man's almost glazed eyes his grin widened, for Derek never missed an  
opportunity to wind up his good friend.

Gently prodding Reid's forehead with his index finger, Morgan jibed,  
"Looks like you're getting some worry lines there kid, you afraid you're  
being stood up?" Although Spencer opened his mouth to respond, Morgan  
didn't ease up. "How long were you daydreaming for? You didn't hear me  
the first few times I called you, that's for sure." Grasping his  
companion's shoulder, the older agent leant in to whisper in Spencer's  
ear. "Don't look," he looked. Morgan sighed. "She's just arrived."

Looking over at Bella with appraising eyes Morgan's jovial smile subtly  
turned into a wolfish grin as he continued, "And kid, don't get yourself  
too excited. The mile high club isn't all it's cracked up to be." With  
a friendly squeeze of Reid's shoulder, Morgan left him to greet his new  
girlfriend. Boy, did that sound strange in his head! Reid and girlfriend  
weren't often in the same sentence unless he was teasing the poor kid. He  
couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he strode towards the plane,  
something Garcia duly noticed.

"I hope you weren't too hard on him," she said, fixing Morgan with an almost  
steely gaze through her vivid glasses. Penelope then turned to see for herself  
what had sparked his remarks. Maybe he had had it a little too easy; Bella had  
certainly given him plenty of ammunition as her idea of comfortable flight  
wear was apparently a pair of impossibly tiny hot pants and a shirt that had  
one too many buttons undone.

On hearing a low whistle escape Morgan's lips Garcia snapped her head  
around, preparing to berate him. Her amusement quickly turned to disapproval  
when she saw his quirked eyebrow so the tech changed tack and swatted at him  
furiously. The blow admittedly glanced off his broad shoulders, but it held  
some satisfaction for her when he feigned a pained expression- at least he was  
no longer drooling over her cousin. "What?" He asked the question  
innocently, yet the smile in his eyes gave away his lack of such.

"You," Garcia swept past him to the foot of the steps, "are  
insufferable!" So convincing was her tone that Morgan almost faltered before  
he reached out to hand her up the steps into the jet.  
"Baby girl, from you I'll take that as a compliment."  
Garcia didn't need to turn around to see his devastating smile; she chose  
to ignore his hand placed strategically on her hip. Some victories, after all,  
were worth conceding.

Part 2- The Flight

Every member of the BAU had their own way of winding down after a case.  
Sometimes this ritual changed but always a sense of calm blanketed their  
flights home. Each had come to accept the others' individual habits, but to  
an outsider the whole scene was marginally daunting, and most definitely out  
of the ordinary.

Bella watched them in turn as a spellbound child watches the creatures in a  
zoo or aquarium; with no desire to understand them, content to observe and  
ponder. She was an outsider; she couldn't shake off the thought that she had  
interrupted their routine. The quiet, authoritative man, whom she remembered  
as being referred to as Rossi, made every effort to ensure her comfort,  
allowing her the choice of the seats and offering up drinks from a minibar.  
Hotch, meanwhile, just watched as she tried to settle into her new  
surroundings. He understood her sense of alienation, sympathised even, but  
she'd never know that from his unsmiling countenance.

Cautiously looking out of the window Bella drank in the atmosphere, her own  
tension unravelling as those around her exuded relaxation. None more so than  
Derek Morgan; content now that Reid was safe and Garcia's frustration was  
quickly dissipating, he stretched his long legs out before him, lounging in  
his own particular fashion. Reid settled next to him. Abashed by the intense  
look in Bella's eyes he'd chosen the cowardly option of leaving the seat  
next to her unoccupied. It didn't stay so for long as Garcia flopped down  
into the comfy chair - fixing Spencer with a look as she did so - and began  
talking animatedly to her cousin.

Once Penelope had finally stopped chattering in her ear, Bella once again  
glanced around the jet. By now they were well into the flight and everyone was  
happily settled. Prentiss and JJ still clutched their drinks, cocktails by her  
reckoning, and gossiped the flight away. Hotch and Rossi seemed to be pursuing  
an in-depth debate – carried over from the last journey, no doubt.  
Eventually her gaze returned to rest on her Dr Reid.

He was quietly sleeping, his head lolled comically against Morgan's  
shoulder. Evidently this didn't bother the other man as he continued  
listening to his music without so much as a glance down to his friend.

"You're smiling, would that be anything to do with how adorable Reid  
looks when he's asleep?" Garcia prodded gently. "At least I hope  
that's who you're staring at, the hunk of gorgeous next door is for my  
eyes only." The lightness in her tone and the dig in her ribs that  
accompanied her cousin's delivery stopped Bella feeling unduly guilty.  
She joked, "Oh I don't know, a girl's allowed to appreciate guys other  
than her boyfriend isn't she?" Garcia's look of undiluted shock stopped  
her in her tracks. Slightly confused, Bella asked, "What did I say? C'mon,  
don't give me that look, what is it?"

Straightening her smile Garcia complied, "You said the 'b' word honey,  
it must be love!"

At that Bella flailed wildly, torn between slapping Penelope and smothering  
her mouth before she said anything else that shouldn't be heard. She was so  
worked up that she failed to notice that the steady hum of background music  
had ceased, and a pair of dark eyes was fixed on her and Garcia, watching  
their antics with evident amusement.

Bella's arms dropped by her sides in defeat as she responded, "Don't  
say that, please. There is so much more to this than you can imagine Pen, so  
don't try to make light of the situation." An inaudible sigh escaped her  
lips, "I feel so confused; too much has happened too quickly. Life or death  
situations aren't usually a staple for first dates, are they? Fear and  
adrenalin can go a long way to altering your perception of real feelings…  
and don't start," she added, gently clasping Garcia's hand in her own,  
more for her own reassurance than anything.

Taken aback by the genuine sincerity in her cousin's voice Penelope took a  
while to gather her thoughts. In what she hoped were comforting tones she  
whispered, "I do know how you feel, okay? About the life or death situations  
at least," her eyes strayed involuntarily, locking with Derek's for a  
fleeting moment before she continued. "What matters is that you're coming  
home with me, and boy are we going to have some fun. I can't wait to watch  
your little romance blossom and nurture it as it grows." The laughter in her  
voice emphasised her attempts to lighten the mood, but Bella still seemed  
preoccupied- her arms were crossed over her stomach as she rubbed her biceps  
with nervous hands.

Voice close to breaking she avoided Garcia's eyes as she spoke. "You may  
be oblivious right now, but I know… and I can't shift the feeling that  
I'm going to break his heart."


	20. Sequal

**The sequal is UP!**

**.net/s/5306846/1/Criminal_Minds_The_Haunted_Memory**


End file.
